HomeFeaturesKiller Klowns From Outer Space: The Game
How multiplayer horror Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game does away with downtimeKno Klowning around
Kno Klowning around
Image credit:IllFonic/Teravision
Image credit:IllFonic/Teravision
Upon learning of the existence of asymmetricalmultiplayerhorrorKiller Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, fromFriday the 13thandPredator Hunting Grounds’ Illfonic and Teravision Games, you’d be forgiven for having, well, questions. The first of which, understandably if you don’t happen to carry a burning penchant for cultishly adored but undeniably niche 80’s schlock, is simple: Why? First, why get invested in another asymmetrical multiplayer game from a studio that has abit of a history with limited shelf lives? And why, of all the licenses, have they chosen one so relatively forgotten, at least in comparison to Predator, Ghostbusters, and Friday the 13th?
I can’t really answer that first one for you, but after playing matches as both human and Klown with the Illfonic crew, the second query starts to make a bit more sense. Whether you’ve seen the Chiodo Brothers’ 1988 film or not,Killer Klowns From Outer Spaceis an easy concept to wrap your head around. Clowns are inherently terrifying. Space clowns so nihilistic that they simply do not care to adhere to basic spelling conventions, moreso. On the other side, you don’t need much of a primer to put yourself in the regular length shoes of a basic, largely space-ignorant but spelling-proficient human in this situation. Run, hide, fight, escape. Do anything you can to stop those klowns getting too close. They’re killers, don’tcha know?
Image credit:Illfonic/Teravision
It’s then we spy a big red exclamation mark on the far side of the map, which means a human is trying to escape. We run over to the bridge, but the slippery bastard gets away. However, the bridge is quite rickety, so after a vigorous jig, the boards fall through, meaning the other team won’t be able to use this route to escape again. Elsewhere on the map, we can block off bunker doors with cotton candy to make alternative exits more difficult for humans to use. So, to prevent more of them escaping, what else is at my disposal aside from my mallet and raygun?
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game — Meet the Klowns 🎈Watch on YouTube
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game — Meet the Klowns 🎈
When the timer hits 30 seconds to the klown-pocalypse, a human-friendly ice-cream truck comes smashing through a fence, giving them one final chance to escape, and things become a mad scramble for both teams. We end the match with three humans killed to four escaped. Granted, I imagine some of the team were concocting scenarios for my benefit as well as explaining things to me intead of playing optimally, but it did somewhat assuage my worries that the klowns would be an unstoppable force.
While the humans don’t have as many tricks, numbers, speed, and multiple escape routes do seem to even the playing field. “We playtest this a lot, and that’s the only way you can truly playtest an asymmetrical game,” says Jared Gerritzen, Illfonic’s CCO. “You can’t just do pen and paper math like you can with a red team vs blue team multiplayer game.”
“We’ve found that asymmetrical horror games aren’t always for the hardcore gamer, so we’ve really tried to balance this out to make it fun and interactive for any type of playstyle,” Gerritzen continues. “We’ve found with [our previous games], fans that don’t play videogames but love the IP will come in. With Klowns, this is that opportunity to bring that ‘evade and escape’ vs having that hardcore shooter mentality. I think we’ve got a really good balance.”
I start my human match, and the first real change here is how quickly a game plan is needed. While there are a few instant escape routes, like the bridge and the last-ditch truck, others take multiple steps to pull off, like a portal that requires collected spark plugs to activate. A ‘safe room’ on the map allows us to meet up and get some map information on where the different escape points are, alongside some weapons. I find and install one plug early, and things are looking up, but quickly devolve into chaos when the klowns come running.
Image credit:Illfonic/Teravision
While this is Teravision’s project, for which Illfonic took on sole publishing duties from Good Shepherd late last year, the Friday The 13th studio are also bringing their own genre nous in a co-development role. “It was a great car, and we added a new turbo charger, new exhaust, new wheels, parts to make it into a really great hot rod,” says Gerritzen. The clown car simile was right there, Jared! But I appreciate the image. Another image I appreciate is just how creepy and authentic to 80’s practical effects those klowns look, which Gerritzen says is down to both the next-gen lighting engines, and working closely with the Chiodo brothers themselves in bringing their vision to life. It’s good to know Illfonic have their input, then, not least because the license might stick around for the long term if you do happen to get invested whenthe gamereleases on June 4th this year.
